


High of the Moment

by azxrae



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Armin loves the ocean, Implied Sexual Content, Levi loves Armin, M/M, Skinny Dipping, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-05 10:21:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12188115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azxrae/pseuds/azxrae
Summary: Armin and Levi take time for themselves during the after-hours at the beach. Levi ends up contemplating his feelings.





	High of the Moment

**Author's Note:**

> Here is my, long-overdue, first rivarmin fic! Idk why it took me so long to write one of these since… I adore this ship with some intensity. I’m glad I finally got around to it, though. Also, this is my first time writing from Levi’s POV. Hopefully, it’s okay.

A green beach towel was Levi’s protection from the sand. He sat with his legs bent, arms folded neatly on his knees. The fringe from his cut-off shorts tickled his skin. Beside him, a young blonde was on his stomach, pushed himself up to the edge of the towel and drawing in the sand with his finger.

It was what looked like a jellyfish. Bulbous, and with a cartoony, smiling face. Of course Armin would draw something so  _whimsical._

“Are you having fun, Levi?” The youngster’s voice was airy light. He was peeking over his shoulder to regard his lover. Perhaps, it’d be less-difficult to gauge his expression if it  _wasn’t_  nearing two in the morning, and their only source of light  _wasn’t_  the moon. But Armin had been insistent they visit the beach, and Levi would only agree if it was during the off-hours.

They couldn’t risk being seen.

“More than I would if we were surrounded by people,” he said, honestly. Crowds always had a way of triggering his anxiety. He was sure his ever-observant lover knew it, too.

“Mmm, I suppose that’s all I can ask of you.” Armin exhaled softly. “I just thought it’d be nice. To share my interests with you. That… and… well,  _you know_.” He rolled onto his back. 

Levi nodded. Armin need not say anymore, because he  _did_  know. Besides the kid’s infatuation with the ocean, they’d made the decision to come because it was one of the only places they could have for  _themselves._  Armin was a college student. Levi was a professor. Fortunately for them, not  _his_  professor, but he still worked on the campus.  _And_  happened to be delivering a month-long seminar to Armin’s elective course.

It seemed they couldn’t find any time alone. Staying cooped in Levi’s condo wasn’t ideal anymore. Before Armin, he’d never felt the  _need_  to do all those redundant things people did when they fancied another person. This blonde, however, was extraordinarily  _different_. Levi had dated others before, but he was, for one, intelligent. He was well-read. He liked classical ballet and taught dance to kids at the rec center. He’d spent a summer doing volunteer work in Haiti. He was compassionate and genuine, and so,  _so_   _exquisitely_  beautiful.

Levi hoped that one day he’d be allowed to learn all the quirks about Armin. Just spending time with him during school hours and dinners at his place weren’t enough. They  _needed_  this beach trip. He knew that.

Armin shuffled up so he was perched before Levi on his knees. A smile claimed his lips _._  The moonlight made his eyes, like little ocean-depths, seem almost  _luminous_ against his face.

“Wanna get in the water?” the younger man asked, “The tides are weirdly still tonight and…. well I’ve got my trunks on.”

Levi surveyed his lover. Indeed, Armin wore teal-colored swim shorts beneath the oversized Joy Division tee. He was dressed for a dip in the ocean. Levi hadn’t been so practical in his attire. He’d assumed they’d just stroll along the shore together. It was late, and the water had undoubtedly chilled since daytime.

“The water’s probably cold,” said Levi. Nearly the instant the words left his lips, though, Armin approached the shore and crouched down. He let the foamy waves brush up against his hand a couple of times.

“It’s not cold at all.” The blonde smiled triumphantly when he turned to face the man sitting on the towel. “It’s the perfect temperature for a dip!”

It was hard to evade Armin’s excitement sometimes. Not because Levi  _couldn’t_ , he just enjoyed seeing him smile a bit too much.

“My proper attire for swimming is at the hotel.” Levi shifted to sit with crossed legs, his forearms resting on muscled thighs.

At that, Armin’s gaze darkened. “But Levi...” When he returned to him, he circled his arms around Levi’s neck. The raven didn’t flinch when he drew close.  _Impossibly close._  “Clothing isn’t  _really_  needed for swimming… It’s just, you know, preferred when there’re other people around.” Armin smelled like citrus fruit, with a hint of what he assumed to be rosewater. He pressed a soft kiss upon the darker-haired male’s mouth.

“But we’re alone right now...”

Levi allowed a moment to enjoy the contact. He ran his hands along Armin’s sides and watched the slight shiver that crept through him. Was it because his hands were cold, or a simple reaction to his touch?

“That we are.” The agreement left him quietly. He considered the  _deviousness_  the blonde had suggested and made a guttural, grunting sound.

_Armin Arlert, you will surely be the death of me._

Levi reached back to his nape and took Armin’s wrists, firmly removing his arms from around him. He observed the confused expression on his lover’s face and was sure to  _take his time_  getting his shirt off.

Armin’s eyes momentarily strayed, appreciating the revelation of skin. “Hmmm, looks like I won.” He kicked off his sandals and stripped himself rather quickly. A now-standing Levi was unbuttoning his shorts, all the while staring at Armin.

“You  _do_  realize this isn’t proper beach etiquette. Right?”

“Are you saying… you don’t want to?” Armin approached, smiling demurely when Levi’s shorts fell to his ankles and he stepped out of them. The blonde played at the waistband of his boxers.

“It’s almost two now. Tell me, Levi, what actually are the chances of someone coming out here?”

He pressed himself close up against his chest, his scent infiltrating Levi’s nostrils.

“It wasn’t an opposition.” He let Armin work the final garment off his thighs. “I was just pointing it out. And, I suppose that chance is slim.” But even if someone  _were_  to come along, Levi wasn’t so sure it would be enough to hinder him at this point. Skinny-dipping in the ocean was a rather…. exhilarating idea, admittedly. He thought about it as he kicked away his boxers.

“Come on.” Levi took Armin’s hand and guided him to the shore. He’d been right about what he said earlier; the ocean _was_  strangely calm. The waves were coming in gentle caresses against the sand. Armin seemed transfixed by the sight.

“You know it’s speculated that the goddess Aphrodite was actually born from sea foam.”

Levi glanced at his lover. He was wearing that dreamy expression he got whenever he was thinking about a particularly  _interesting_  piece of information. The older man couldn’t keep in a tiny smile.

“I did know that.”

Armin smiled in return. “Well, you’re a professor. I’d be a little disappointed if you didn’t.”

He slid his fingers through Levi’s and moved with him into the water. It was definitely unique – the sensation of salt and water against his naked skin. And it was warm. He supposed now that it was summer and the days stretched on for longer, the ocean had time to get heated by the sun.

The pair remained in the shallow end; where the water just reached their mid-sections.

“I wish the sky was clearer tonight. It’d be nice to see the stars.” Armin was pouting as his head tilted upward.

“In a place with such a lively boardwalk, even at this hour there’re too many lights to see any stars,” Levi informed quietly. He would an arm around the small of his back and brought him closer, kissed the little daisies tattooed under his ear.

Armin hummed. “You’re right, but still… starry nights are so pretty. I don’t think I’ve seen a proper one since I left Shiganshina…” That dreamy look from before had returned. Thin arms wrapped around his neck, and Levi leaned in to kiss his mouth.

“We can go visit there if you’d like.”

Armin’s smile grew. “That’d be nice… My grandfather left me his house a couple years ago. It happens to be right in the middle of the national park.” Armin idly threaded a hand through dark tresses. “I used to sit on the roof and watch the stars a lot during my teenage years. Just think about things ‘til I dozed off.” He spoke softly, “Grandpa would notice I was up there and scold me for falling asleep. But it never stopped me.” He looked so contended by the memory that Levi had to hold him closer, just to feel the warm body against his.

It was nice to hear Armin talk about his past. It was rare he did; he didn’t like directing the attention to himself when it came to more serious topics. But, as their relationship progressed, he gradually became more open. The both of them did.

“That sounds like It was fun,” Levi agreed. “My uncle took me camping up in the Shiganshina mountains when I was younger.” His voice held a teasing tone as he looked at Armin and poked his nose with his fingertip.

“But that was before little _brats_ like you were born.”

Armin scrunched his nose in response. “Sorry to break it to you, old man, but I’m hardly a  _brat_ anymore.” He smirked slightly. “I’m a whole twenty-two years now.”

In Levi’s mind, Armin’s age still qualified him as a kid. But he wouldn’t speak on it. Armin was  _leagues_  more mature than his peers, and that quality made him all the more attractive to a man who would be forty in just a few years. He kissed his earlobe. The dampness between their bodies made the proximity seem all the more  _sensual._

“Even with the absence of stars, the sky is beautiful.” Levi’s spoke in that low voice he knew his lover liked. His hands rested just over the curve of his ass now.

“You’re not even looking, Levi.” Armin chided him gently. Levi gave a teasing lick to his ear before he too turned his eyes on the sky. The moon had peeked through the clouds to bathe them in a soft, pale light.

In his momentary distraction, Levi didn’t notice Armin breaking away. The blonde put enough distance between them so that he could lean a bit and tread towards the deeper end.

“Come swim with me~” Armin glided around to face him again, ducking so that his hair was submerged in the water. Little rivulets of blond circled next to his chin.

Perhaps it was silly to think it, but Armin looked almost ethereal then, shrouded in moonlight and ocean water like some kind of water being.Levi felt a stab of warmth in his chest _._  He smiled slightly and heeded his beckon, moving closer just as Armin inclined back. Their hands joined under the water. He didn’t panic when his feet suddenly couldn’t touch the floor; he could swim well enough, and Levi knew if he allowed his body to float he wouldn’t drown if it came to that.

A gentle wave carried him close to his lover. Armin’s head was dipped back in the water and his eyes were fixed on the sky again. He kept himself afloat by steadily kicking his legs.

“Levi?”

The older male gazed at him, utterly love-stricken. “Yeah?”

“I’m really happy right now…” Armin closed his eyes and a smile appeared on his face. “Are you happy, too?”

Levi sunk a little in the water. Did he really need to ask? He swam forward and grabbed Armin around his middle, prompting him to raise his head.

“No. Not happy.” Levi’s voice was whisper-soft.  _“Enraptured.”_

Armin embraced him and Levi closed the distance in a kiss. The current gradually carried them nearer to the shore, which was good – Levi was dimly worried that they had gone too deep, but he didn’t want to disrupt this moment.  _Not for anything._  He simply held Armin tighter and reveled in the way the blonde’s fingers stroked his hair.

That night was the first time in awhile Levi felt such a  _strong_ emotion for another person. He’d closed that part of himself off with the intention of never reopening it, but Armin broke down his walls. It happened so quietly Levi didn’t notice. Not until he looked into the younger man’s eyes and became aware of how  _deeply_ he’d fallen. Strangely enough, he wasn’t scared.  

Perhaps it was the high of the moment. Whatever it was, Levi knew then he was unwilling to let it go. He wanted to hold onto the blonde for as long as he possibly could.

 

Armin’s shivers and his quiet complaints that he was getting cold were ultimately what prompted them to get out. They both dried themselves with towels Armin brought out from the hotel and redressed. Armin tied his hair into a ponytail.

“Salt water is a good, natural exfoliator,” the younger bubbled out. He slid his hand along his forearm with a pleased hum. “My skin feels so soft now!”

“Your skin is always soft,” Levi reminded him. Watching Armin smile prettily, and the followed sensation of his hands smoothing along his sides caused an ache in Levi’s shorts. He gently took his chin and urged their lips to touch.

“Tired?” The question was felt more than heard. Armin pushed against him, his hands massaging his shoulders.

“Mmm, a little,” When Levi tickled under the hem of his shirt, he kissed the side of his mouth. “You’re not slick. I can always tell when you want me.” Armin chuckled breathily because feeling Levi  _harden_  against him wasn’t something he could ignore. “Your body, Levi… it always tightens  _just so_.”

It was satisfying that Armin knew him so well. But something like that wouldn’t be too difficult to detect – they’d ended up in bed rather quickly after their first date and hadn’t come up for air since. Thinking back, Levi couldn’t pinpoint when it evolved to something more than just physical acts, but he was thankful.

“Armin.” He kissed the apple of his cheek to get his attention. When their eyes met, Levi’s hands slid to the small of his back. “I’d like to kiss every inch of you tonight.” Warm, moistened breath puffed against him as he purred, “Right here, beneath the moon.”

Armin’s lids fluttered at that. When he exhaled, he dropped his head to rest against Levi’s shoulder and nosed the skin gently. “How very poetic of you.”

They set the towel out again and Levi did, exploring with his mouth every nook and cranny of the man who was laid bare for him. Soon, Levi hoped as he coaxed Armin open with a languid swipe of his tongue, it would be only for him.


End file.
